Natural environment

1. The natural environment is the set of living and non-living things on Earth which occur in a state substantially not influenced by humans. The term is most often applied to an ecological complex, which includes all of the plants; animals; microorganisms; abiotic factors such as minerals; rocks and magma; water bodies; and atmosphere layers.

2. There are extremely complex interactions between the living organisms and abiotic elements as well as meteorological influences, all of which combine to form rich speciation (видообразование) and biodiversity in most natural systems. Exceptions to this species richness are in extreme conditions of pH, temperature and deep ocean conditions, where only a limited number of biological species are able to survive as a result of specialized adaptations to these difficult environments.

3. A central principle of evolution, natural selection is a non-random (неслучайный) process that generates organisms well adapted to their environment by selectively reproducing beneficial changes in their genotype (their genetic make-up). Selection itself can be based on several factors – including survivability, fertility (плодородие), development speed and mating success among others – and mitigates the potentially harmful effects of random mutations by multiplying instances of those beneficial and eliminating those that are not (ie an organism’s chance of descendents is reduced).

4. In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment. In such areas where man has fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion, the natural environment is greatly modified and diminished (ослаблен, приуменьшен), with a much more simplified human environment largely replacing it. Even events, which seem less extreme, such as hydroelectric dam construction, or solar array construction in the desert, the natural environment is substantially altered.

Animals

1. From the top of the North Pole to the jungles of Borneo, animals have managed to survive pretty much everywhere. Their fascinating eating habits, mating rituals and social structures continue to amaze and enthrall (увлекать) us as there are new things to learn every day about creatures as varied as lions and dung beetles (жуки-навозники), elephants and narwhals (нарва́лы). 

2. Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their lives. All animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently, at some point in their lives. All animals are heterotrophs: they must ingest other organisms or their products for sustenance.

3. Biological systems are difficult to predict but even species low down the food chain can get into difficulties when the system is unbalanced. Take Australia, for example; in the Fifties the numbers of rabbits exploded (пережила буйный рост). In similar circumstances this boom can easily be followed by a bust (резкий спад) – through an animal population effectively eating its own food supply. Also in Australia cattle introduction led to such a build-up of cowpats (навозные кучи) that they were destroying the habitat through the build-up of their own waste – until a suitable dung beetle was introduced.HERE See a film about dung beetles 

4. Generally speaking, predator species help provide a balance, keeping animals lower down the food chain in check therefore allowing primary producers (plants) to provide the resources on which the rest of the system depends. Meanwhile, other contributors to the system, such as decomposers, also help the system stay in shape. Without these checks and balances individual species are prone (будут склонны) to boom, bust or potentially to future extinction.

Part animal, part plant?

We are used to distinguish all living things on our planet into two groups - animals or plants. how do you think is there any living being that is partly animal partly plant?

Follow the link.

What is your opinion is this animal partly a plant?